IDF defies Netanyahu's plan for ‘humanitarian city' in Gaza
In a remarkable stand-off with Binyamin Netanyahu's government, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) pushed back against a request from the defence ministry to establish a new civilian-only area and move up to 600,000 Palestinians there.
The office of Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the chief of the general staff, said that the military's duties did not involve forcibly moving civilians either within or out of the Gaza Strip. He argued the plan was not part of the stated objectives of the war: to destroy Hamas and free the remaining hostages.
The row culminated in a heated exchange between Netanyahu and Zamir during a war cabinet meeting over plans for the future of Gaza.
The argument, widely reported in Israel, signals a growing rift between the country's political leadership and military command after 21 months of war with Hamas.
The 'humanitarian city' was proposed as both sides resumed negotiations for a potential 60-day ceasefire to allow the release of some hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel Katz, the defence minister, suggested that during the potential truce the IDF should create a zone for civilians in the southern city of Rafah, which has been largely reduced to rubble, and move people there.
That has been actively resisted by a group of dissenting Israeli reservist soldiers, who argued in a petition to the country's supreme court that forced population expulsions by troops could be a violation of international law.
'Relocating and concentrating an entire population is, by all legal and moral standards, a war crime. Framing it in humanitarian language does not change the nature of this crime,' said Yotam Vilk, a reservist officer who served in Gaza and is part of Soldiers for the Hostages, a group seeking an end to the war and the release of hostages by refusing to serve.
He added: 'The IDF acknowledges that the situation in Gaza has become unbearable and unsustainable. The chief of staff has stated that population transfer is not a legitimate military goal.'
Vilk said Katz's plan was a betrayal of all that was promised to soldiers 'who are exhausted, traumatised and still dying in a war that lacks any clear or justifiable objective. They were sent to bring back the hostages and protect Israel, not to enforce a policy of indefinite domination over millions of civilians.'
There were disagreements between the soldiers who petitioned the court. Or Szneiberg, a tank commander who was injured while fighting in southern Gaza last year, supported the petition but said he thought Vilk's stance 'dismantles the army and the state from the ground up'.
President Trump, who met Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, hoped that a temporary ceasefire in Gaza could be announced as early as this week, even though Israel has accused Hamas of making 'unacceptable' demands as talks via mediators resumed in Qatar.
Both Trump and Netanyahu repeated their suggestion that Palestinians should be moved from Gaza to other countries in the region. Despite widespread public condemnation of the idea from across Middle Eastern capitals, Trump on Monday claimed to have had 'great co-operation' from neighbouring countries 'so something good will happen'.
Israel has set up a bureau to enable the 'voluntary migration' of residents, although so far no such free passage has been permitted for those wishing to leave, nor have there been guarantees for Gazans who wish to return. Netanyahu still sought to portray the issue as a free choice: 'If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave.'.
Since the start of the war in October 2023 the IDF has seized control of Gaza and much of the population has been displaced into three designated zones around Gaza City, the central refugee camps, and the al-Mawasi zone.
Many Palestinians are hoping for a respite in fighting and more aid from the United Nations and international donors instead of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Israeli and American-backed group which many, including Israeli officials, say has failed to alleviate suffering.
Charities say much of the territory's population of 2.3 million are at risk of starvation due to the long Israeli blockade which has limited access to food and medicine. More than 56,000 people have died in the conflict started by the October 7 attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Civilians queue at a food distribution point in Gaza City
ABDALHKEM ABU RIASH/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES
Fayeq al-Najjar, a father of six in the southern town of Khan Yunis, said suggestions of relocation grieved him, but he may have to leave the territory to feed his family.
'If moving means they get food, I might go. If I'm forced, I will leave, though I know very well this plan is about gradually clearing Gaza of its people,' he said. 'The sadness and grief are beyond words. They keep talking about forcing us out, about erasing the place where I was raised and lived my whole life. But I have my children and grandchildren to protect.'
Ibrahim Hammouda, who has been repeatedly displaced from Khan Yunis after sustained Israeli bombing, also dismissed the suggestion.
'Rafah can't hold the entire population of Gaza. Al-Mawasi can't either. In fact, the entire south cannot accommodate those from the north,' he said. 'That's why every plan the army has announced since the beginning of the war has failed and has proven to be a failure. The only real solution is for the Israeli army to withdraw from Gaza.'
Hammouda, 34, said he was determined to stay in his homeland no matter what. 'I've been displaced more than ten times. I wake up to the sound of bombing and I fall asleep to it. Despite all the plans they keep announcing, I will not leave Gaza. We're not leaving Gaza. Gaza is our land and we will not abandon it.'
Ibrahim Hammouda insisted he would not leave Gaza
AMAL HELLES
After nearly two years of war, Gazans have lost hope that they will see permanent peace in their lifetimes.
'When I first heard about this forced displacement plan, this idea of rounding us up, I said: 'I'd rather die'. Let them kill us all at once and be done with it,' said Aida al-Rifi, 65, whose son and husband are both dead. 'We're exhausted. And now my granddaughter is suffering from malnutrition. I don't want to go to Rafah or Khan Yunis. I want to stay here and die here.'
Residents of Gaza, including Aida al-Rifi, 65, ridiculed relocation plans
AMAL HELLES
Netanyahu remained in Washington on Tuesday to meet the vice-president, JD Vance, and the House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson. Talks on a temporary ceasefire are expected to push forward when Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, travels to Doha.
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The Independent
31 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why is Israel bombing Syria and and who are the Druze?
Syria is facing a fresh and dangerous escalation in violence, with Israel launching its most intense airstrikes on Damascus in years amid deadly clashes between Druze factions and government forces in the south. The renewed conflict, centred on the province of Suwayda in the south, threatens the country's fragile post-war political transition and has already left hundreds dead, including civilians and soldiers. The immediate trigger for the violence was the abduction of a Druze merchant in Suwayda on 13 July, which quickly spiralled into armed confrontations between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes. The situation worsened when government troops attempted to restore order but ended up clashing with local Druze fighters – and in some cases, were accused of targeting civilians. By 15 July, Israel intervened militarily, citing its responsibility to protect the Druze population in Syria, a minority it considers a potential ally. This intervention marked the beginning of a dramatic escalation. In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military. In Syria, the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country's new leaders, with some advocating for integrating into the new system while others have remained suspicious of the authorities in Damascus and pushed for an autonomous Druze region. On Wednesday the Israeli military launched multiple airstrikes hitting central Damascus, including the Ministry of Defence headquarters and areas near the presidential palace, saying it is warning against attacks on Druze. Further attacks were carried out in the southern city of Suwayda, a Druze-majority area close to the Jordanian border. According to Syrian officials, the strikes on Damascus killed three people and injured 34. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK -based war monitor, reported that more than 300 people had been killed in Suwayda since 13 July, including eight women, four children and 165 soldiers. The strikes represent Israel's most serious military escalation in Syria since December 2024, when it bombed hundreds of military sites following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in a rebel-led offensive. That offensive had ended Syria's 14-year-long civil war and ushered in a new, Islamist-leaning leadership under interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa. Israel has been accused by some Druze figures in Syria and Lebanon of stoking sectarian divisions to advance its own expansionist aspirations in the region. Syria's new leadership under pressure President al-Sharaa, a former militant who was once a member of al-Qaeda and now heads Syria's transitional government, addressed the nation on Thursday, describing the Druze as an integral part of Syria. 'We affirm that protecting your rights and freedoms is among our top priorities,' he said, specifically addressing Druze in Syria. 'We reject any attempt – foreign or domestic – to sow division within our ranks. We are all partners in this land, and we will not allow any group to distort the beautiful image that Syria and its diversity represent.' He said Syrians did not fear renewed war but sought the path of Syrian interest over destruction. 'We assigned local factions and Druze spiritual leaders the responsibility of maintaining security in [Suwayda], recognising the gravity of the situation and the need to avoid dragging the country' into a new war, he said. 'We are not among those who fear war,' he said. 'We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction.' Dr Mohamad Elmasry, a professor of media studies at the Doha Institute, called the speech a 'significant departure' from earlier stances. 'It was a clear warning to Israel that Syria doesn't want war, but it won't back down either,' he told Al Jazeera. 'We're at a potentially dangerous tipping point.' The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli strikes as a 'flagrant assault' and accused Israel of pursuing a 'deliberate policy' to spread chaos and destabilise the region. Several Arab governments, including Egypt, Qatar, and Lebanon, echoed Syria's condemnation. Saudi Arabia described the strikes as 'blatant attacks,' and Turkey warned they risk sabotaging Syria's efforts to restore peace. Israel's rationale and regional implications Israel claims that its military campaign is a response to attacks on the Druze and an attempt to prevent Islamist militias from entrenching themselves near its border, especially around the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It has also accused Syrian forces of carrying out summary executions of Druze civilians. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz declared after the Damascus strikes: 'The warnings in Damascus have ended - now painful blows will come.' He also threatened that Israel would increase its military pressure if Syrian forces remained in Suwayda. The strike on the Syrian military headquarters was captured live by Syria TV, whose studios sit opposite the building, showing the moment a presenter fled the set while still live on air. Ceasefire attempts falter Following days of airstrikes and clashes, Syria's Ministry of Interior on Wednesday announced a new ceasefire and confirmed that army convoys had begun withdrawing from Suwayda. The ceasefire had been brokered with some Druze leaders, but prominent cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri quickly rejected it, raising doubts about its viability. Previous attempts to broker peace had also failed. A ceasefire declared on Tuesday had collapsed within hours. As Israel's military strikes continued, fears of further bloodshed and displacement grew. Who are the Druze? The Druze are an Arabic -speaking ethno-religious group with roots in 10th-century Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. While their faith incorporates Islamic elements, it is considered a distinct religion. There are about one million Druze worldwide, with half living in Syria and others spread across Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In Syria, they constitute roughly three per cent of the population. While the Druze community in Israel is often seen as loyal to the state, including through military service, the Druze in Syria have historically maintained a delicate balance between cooperation with and resistance to state authorities. Following the fall of Assad, many Druze factions have resisted the authority of the new government, preferring to rely on local militias for security. This resistance, combined with past accusations of government abuses, has fuelled their mistrust toward the state. Eyewitness accounts of horror Grim reports of violence have surfaced from within Suwayda. Videos on social media showed government-affiliated fighters shaving the moustaches of Druze clerics – a symbolic act of humiliation – and desecrating Druze religious symbols. Others showed Druze fighters beating captured government troops and posing with corpses. The Syrian Observatory reported at least 27 summary executions. The Associated Press said its journalists in the region had witnessed widespread looting and arson in Druze neighbourhoods. Personal accounts add to the growing human cost. In Jaramana, near Damascus, 20-year-old Evelyn Azzam said she feared her husband, Robert Kiwan, had been shot by security forces during a phone call. 'They shot my husband in the hip, from what I could gather,' she said. 'Since then, we have no idea what has happened.' A Druze woman in the United Arab Emirates said her family was hiding in their basement near Suwayda's hospital. 'I heard them cry. I have never heard them this way before,' she said. Another woman said a house containing her relatives had been burned down with them inside, evoking memories of a deadly 2018 Isis attack on the city.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
European missile group MBDA selling parts for bombs that have killed children in Gaza
Europe's largest missiles maker, MBDA, is selling key components for bombs that have been shipped in their thousands to Israel and used in multiple airstrikes where research indicates Palestinian children and other civilians were killed. With concerns mounting about the extent to which European companies may be profiting from the devastation of Gaza, a Guardian investigation with the independent newsrooms Disclose and Follow the Money has examined the supply chain behind the GBU-39 bomb, and the ways in which it has been deployed during the conflict. MBDA owns a factory in Alabama, US, which produces 'wings' that are fitted to the GBU-39, which is made by Boeing. They unfold after launch, allowing the bomb to be guided to its target. Revenues from the US company MBDA Incorporated flow through MBDA UK, based in Hertfordshire, England, which then passes any profits to MBDA group, headquartered in France. MBDA distributed almost £350m in dividends last year to its three shareholders – Britain's biggest defence firm BAE Systems, France's Airbus and Italy's Leonardo. In September, the UK foreign minister, David Lammy, suspended some weapons export licences to Israel, citing risk of 'serious violations' of international humanitarian law. Lammy said the move was designed to target 'items which could be used in the current conflict in Gaza'. Using open source information, and analysis by weapons experts, the investigation has verified 24 cases where the GBU-39 was deployed in attacks that left civilians dead. Each one included children among the fatalities. Many of the attacks took place at night, without warning, in school buildings and tent camps where displaced families were sheltering. A number have been examined by the United Nations and the humanitarian group Amnesty International, which flagged them as suspected war crimes. MBDA confirmed it had a contract with Boeing for the wings, and said it 'complies all relevant national and international laws applicable to the arms trade in the countries in which it operates … all of whom have export policies and operate robust export control regimes'. Campaigners said the case illustrates the limits of the UK's move to pause some arms shipments to Israel. Already criticised for excluding F-35 fighter jets, the government's measures have other limitations: they apply only to military equipment exported from Britain, which means the US arm of MBDA can continue supplying Boeing from its Alabama factory. At about 2am on 26 May this year, a bomb ripped through the roof of Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in the historic quarter of Gaza City while dozens of families sheltering there lay sleeping. Local emergency services said 36 people, half of them children, were killed that night as the building was engulfed in flames. In a video recorded by an onlooker, a tiny girl, silhouetted against the fire, stumbled forwards as she searched for a way out. The child was five-year-old Hanin al-Wadie, and she survived – just. Weeks later she was still in hospital, suffering second- and third-degree burns, and deep psychological trauma. Her parents and her only sibling, a sister, were killed in the attack. Sitting by her side, as Hanin nibbled on a piece of bread and plucked at her bandages, her uncle Ahmed al-Wadie spoke of what she remembered. 'The first thing is that she screamed at the sound of the missiles and the fire around her,' he said. 'When she walks, she says she is afraid to step on the bodies. Imagine a child in this situation seeing her parents in front of her in a fire, seeing them with her eyes.' Ahmed, who is a nurse, said she needed treatments that no hospital in Gaza could provide – plastic surgery on her face and her hands, and psychological support. In recent days, he has managed to secure her evacuation to Jordan. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure such as schools, and requires steps to minimise harm. Failure to follow the rules can result in war crimes. 'Those launching attacks have a legal duty to take precautions so as to avoid harming civilians – even in cases where there may be a military target at the location – including by not striking locations full of civilians,' says Donatella Rovera, a senior investigator at Amnesty. Giving effective warning to evacuate, where feasible, is also a requirement. Witnesses said no such warning was given before the attack at Fahmi al-Jarjawi. The Israeli military said at the time it had targeted a command and control centre inside the school that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad used to gather intelligence for attacks, adding it had taken 'numerous steps' to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of 'precise munitions'. Locating military objectives within densely populated civilian areas is also prohibited, said Rovera. Weapons experts later identified fragments of a GBU-39 bomb in the debris. Footage shot at the scene clearly showed the wings, which often shear off as the bomb hits its target. Trevor Ball, an associate at Armaments Research Services, which receives some EU funding, has compiled his own list of strikes involving the bomb. He said it could be identified by its wings, which are marked with the words 'NO LIFT ON WINGS' and by its tail piece, which has slots for fins and distinctive bolts. The GBU-39 is reaching Israel under the US military aid programme, which provides grants and loans to be spent on weapons. Bought from the Boeing Company directly, and also transferred from the US military's own reserves, an estimated 4,800 have been shipped since the 7 October 2023 Hamas massacre of Israeli citizens, to which Israel responded by launching a war on Gaza. The most recent consignment of 2,166 was announced in February of this year, just as the UN reported that almost 70% of Gaza had been reduced to rubble. The GBU-39 is launched from the air by fighter jets. With a comparatively light payload of under 250lb, it can take out one or two floors of a building, leaving the rest of the structure intact. Its use has been encouraged by the US state department, including under former president Joe Biden, because it was seen as preferable to the much heavier bombs used to flatten Gaza during the early months of the war. But in an enclosed space, it creates a lethal fireball. In the 24 cases verified for this article, which date from between November 2023 and May of this year, the reported death toll was more than 500, including at least 100 children. The first verified case since the start of the war was on 2 November, at the densely populated Bureij camp, when several buildings collapsed. The UN estimated Israeli jets had launched at least four of the bombs. Gaza authorities initially reported 15 dead, including nine children, though the death toll rose as the days passed. Mourning the loss of 19 members of his family, Yasser Hassan Washah posted on Facebook: 'My remaining cousins are searching for their family, and the rest of my cousins are under the rubble.' Later that day, without specifying locations, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated its aircraft, directed by soldiers on the ground, had struck a number of military command and control centres used by senior Hamas terrorist operatives, some of which were 'deliberately located in civilian areas'. In a report published last year, the UN cited the attack as one of six examples in which it said Israel 'may have failed to adhere' to the principles of international humanitarian law. From just a handful of cases verified in 2023, the data suggests the Israeli military dramatically scaled up its use of GBU-39s in 2024. One of the most devastating attacks was during the night of 26 May 2024, when jets bombarded Kuwaiti Peace Camp 1 in Rafah, sparking a raging fire that set rows of tents alight. A toddler and a woman were decapitated by fragments from the explosives, Amnesty reported. The Gaza health ministry counted 45 dead and 249 wounded. The Israeli military said it had been targeting a Hamas compound, and that it suspected munitions or some other combustible substance it was unaware of caused a secondary explosion and a fire. Amnesty accused the military of failing to distinguish between civilians and military objectives, and called for the incident to be investigated as a war crime. 'The GBU-39s have been used a lot to target schools and areas where other people are sheltering,' said Ball. Of the verified attacks, 16 were against schools. While the buildings are no longer functioning as educational facilities, they have become places of shelter for Gaza's displaced population. The other strikes were on tent camps, family homes, and on a mosque during morning prayers. The Guardian wrote to the IDF with detailed accounts of nine attacks. A spokesperson declined to comment on the individual cases, saying it did not have the time or information needed to examine the claims. However, they insisted the IDF did not target civilians or civilian structures. 'The IDF strikes exclusively on the grounds of military necessity and in strict accordance with international law. The IDF pursues all feasible precautions in order to mitigate harm to both civilians and civilian structures.' In each case, it said the sensitivity of sites was taken into account with the aim of mitigating damage to sites and civilians in a 'rigorous approval process'. It said Hamas had made a habit of storing its weapons and ammunition inside civilian buildings, including hospitals, schools and mosques, and launched attacks from them routinely. In its marketing material for the patented Diamond Back wing system, MBDA describes it as a 'key component' of the Boeing bomb. Weapons experts say the GBU-39 is always sold with its wings, and MBDA is the sole known supplier. There are no public financial accounts for MBDA Inc, so the profits and revenues it generates are not visible. However, its revenues are consolidated within the UK division, according to a statement in the accounts. The profits are then passed to MBDA group. The most recent accounts for MBDA UK, which date from 2023, show it is a large part of the business, contributing more than 40% of revenues. Overall, the wider MBDA business is growing rapidly, taking £4.2bn in revenues in 2024. Last September, as the number of people killed in Gaza rose to more than 40,000, Britain's foreign minister, David Lammy, suspended 29 licences for arms exports to Israel, saying there existed a 'clear risk' the equipment could be used to commit 'serious violations' of international humanitarian law. However, the ban is limited in scope. Experts say the government has no power to block sales by firms based abroad, even if they are part of the same group as a British company. US subsidiary MBDA Inc is not affected by the ban, and it has a separate board of directors. It operates under local laws and is subject to US arms controls. 'MBDA are profiting from the arming of Israel,' said Sam Perlo-Freeman, the research coordinator at Campaign Against the Arms Trade. 'What MBDA could do if they wanted to not be complicit in arming Israel is they could sell MBDA Inc. We would support the UK government taking all actions that are within their powers to stop the genocide. Beyond an arms embargo, this includes sanctions on companies arming Israel, banning UK investments in such companies.' Such a ban would go beyond even the terms of the embargo imposed on Russia after its attack on Ukraine. With Israel, the UK and other western governments have taken a lighter touch approach. For example, Lammy allowed a carve-out so that British companies, including BAE Systems, could continue producing parts of the F-35 combat aircraft for Israel. Despite strong words and threats of more sanctions after Israel broke the ceasefire in March, and findings by the UN that the warfare methods in Gaza are consistent with genocide, European leaders have taken no further steps to prevent domestic armaments firms from profiting. In a report dated last month, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, examined corporate profits from the conflict. She concluded: 'The present report shows why the genocide carried out by Israel continues: because it is lucrative for many.' Neither MBDA nor Boeing are mentioned among the 40 companies named in the report, but Albanese said her research was 'just the tip of the iceberg'. 'Ending it will not happen without holding the private sector accountable,' she said. Under the UN guiding principles on business and human rights, companies are expected to undertake periodic due diligence to identify concerns and adjust their conduct, particularly during armed conflicts. MBDA's own code of ethics points to these responsibilities, stating the company is 'committed to taking the utmost care in identifying and preventing negative direct and indirect impacts our activities may have on human rights, fundamental freedoms and people health and safety'. In its response to the Guardian, the company declined to say whether it had considered divesting its US operations or ceasing the supply of components for equipment sold to Israel. It added: 'Activities that could involve the company in unlawful practices are prohibited.' BAE Systems and Airbus said they had nothing to add to MBDA's response. Leonardo said it has 'has always acted in full compliance with national and international regulations regarding the export of military equipment'. Boeing referred inquiries to the US government. A state department spokesperson said the US supported Israel's right to defend itself and Donald Trump and his foreign secretary were focused on peace in the region.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
The video that exposes the BBC's rotten moral core
When it comes to Israel, no matter how low the BBC sinks, it always finds grim new depths to plumb. Deborah Turness, head of news at the Corporation, has told a staff meeting that Hamas's government is 'different' from its paramilitary wing. She made the comments in a meeting called to address the 'catastrophic failure' that saw the BBC air the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone without telling viewers that the narrator was the son of a deputy minister in the Gaza government. A leaked video shows Turness claiming that the father was 'a member of the Hamas-run government, which is different to being part of the military wing of Hamas'. She adds that 'we need to continually remind people of the difference'. It is another slide into the moral morass for an organisation that has spent the two years since the October 7 terrorist attacks assiduously trashing what little reputation it had left as a fair and impartial reporter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That reputation will never recover from the Corporation's decision to continue livestreaming Bob Vylan's Glastonbury set even as the lead vocalist began leading the crowd in calls for 'death, death to the IDF'. The way things are going, Hamas would be well advised to distance itself from the BBC. Turness is wrong as a matter of fact and as a matter of law. For years, useful idiots in the British foreign policy arena promoted the fiction that Hamas's politburo was a separate entity to its paramilitary wing: the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. This allowed the organisation to escape comprehensive proscription. That changed in 2021 when the Government concluded that 'the approach of distinguishing between the various parts of Hamas is artificial' and that Hamas is 'a complex but single terrorist organisation'. A person who invites support for Hamas in the UK, even if they specify only the 'political wing', commits an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000. The BBC's head of news might be expected to know this, but it is not only Turness's ignorance that is troubling. It is the attempt to downplay the gravity of the editorial failings that put the Gaza documentary on the air and the breach of trust with viewers that it represented. A news organisation that felt sincere remorse over this episode would not be trying to weasel its way out of responsibility. The BBC is too rotten to the core with error, arrogance and ideology to be truly contrite, especially when its favourite punching bag is involved. The anti-Israel bias is so systemic that it has become an inextricable part of the Corporation's identity. It could no sooner give up its hostile framing of Israel than it could ditch the opening theme to The Archers. But a BBC that can't be even-handed on Israel is a BBC that can no longer be trusted.
